as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
the film's clichéd story of an underdog who overcomes insurmountable odds to win
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Recent Examples of clichéd
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Zod’s rages sound like an angry man threatening someone from the other side of a parking lot, not the cliched snarling of too many comic-book movie villains.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2025
The Oscar winner takes a cliched role of the disgraced loner and gives a low-key, effective performance, relying on glances not glares to get him over the finish line.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 25 June 2025
The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Crossing off cliched character traits like orders on her waitressing pad, Lori is the daughter of a disgraced widow cop.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 May 2025
But historically, exactly that distant, cliched view of the race is the point on which many hundreds of horsemen and their athletes have made a mistake.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Yet much of what occurs feels cliched, as does much of the language and dialogue.
—Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Zod’s rages sound like an angry man threatening someone from the other side of a parking lot, not the cliched snarling of too many comic-book movie villains.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2025
The Oscar winner takes a cliched role of the disgraced loner and gives a low-key, effective performance, relying on glances not glares to get him over the finish line.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 25 June 2025
The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Crossing off cliched character traits like orders on her waitressing pad, Lori is the daughter of a disgraced widow cop.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 May 2025
But historically, exactly that distant, cliched view of the race is the point on which many hundreds of horsemen and their athletes have made a mistake.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Yet much of what occurs feels cliched, as does much of the language and dialogue.
—Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clichéd
Adjective
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Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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At the time, Latinos were often cast in stereotyped roles with heavy accents and largely denied the opportunity to direct features.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The first turned a fourth-quarter fumble into a 59-yard score when Achane burst through a tired, and seemingly defeated Buffalo defensive front and outsprinted the Bills’ entire secondary to the end zone.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Nov. 2025
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But that feels like a tired, outdated characterisation.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Unfortunately though, Cooper can’t escape certain hackneyed biopic tropes in representing the songwriting, which are almost impossible to avoid.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
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Unfortunately though, Cooper can’t escape certain hackneyed biopic tropes in representing the songwriting, which are almost impossible to avoid.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And at the risk of sounding trite, love conquers all.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
24 Oct. 2025
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But whatever personal motivation might lie behind the film is impossible to see in the final product — not in its boilerplate depiction of grief, not in its trite evocations of the occult.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clichéd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9d. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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